History & Nature Ride

Introduction
Transylvania Romania
The Carpathian Mountains represent the largest area of pristine nature in Central and Eastern Europe. More than one third of all wolves, bears, and lynx west of Russia roam this impressive mountain range.

At the foot of the Carpathians is the village of Sinca Noua or “New Shinca”, a small and picturesque village of some 2,000 inhabitants. Time stands still here, the shepherds still take their flocks into the mountains as they did for centuries and in the evenings, the cows and water buffalo are brought back from the pastures to the village. There is little noise except the buzzing of insects and the twittering of various sparrows and swallows. The crowned Hoopoes, colorful Bee-eaters, Black Storks and even the Lesser Spotted Eagles are commonly sighted in this area of incredible richness with its plentiful flowers in all colors. The village has seen the signs of the times and proudly wants to keep this place a treasure: it has declared itself the first “ecological village” of Romania!

The home base for your ride is a lovely and newly built riding center that combines many local traditions with the growing Western standard. The center has a new, tasteful and modern guesthouse with private bathrooms and offers mainly organic food from its own gardens or from the neighboring farms in the surrounding areas.

Winter riding weeks are also available.

Accomodation
 

Accommodation
This is a stationary ride so you will be staying at the same location every night.

Description
The guesthouse has 9 double rooms, each with a bathroom. Downstairs, there is a nice dining room and there is a large veranda outside where guests can sit in the summertime. An extensive living room with open fireplace and bar is inviting for relaxing evenings. We heat our guesthouse with a modern wood central heater and treat our sewage with a reed bed for biological cleaning. There is now good cell phone coverage and wireless internet access at the farm. It is possible to do your laundry for a small fee.

 

The two-day trip with overnight camping depends on the weather conditions. In case of bad weather forecast we reserve the right to change the two-day trip into two single day trips with overnight at the guesthouse.

Room Occupancy
If we are unable to find another rider to share the room with you, the single supplement fee does not apply.



Meals
All meals are included with this trip and wine is served with dinner.

We use mainly locally produced food in our kitchen. People in Sinca Noua generally don't use pesticides or artificial fertilisers, and the livestock is still kept the old way, that is, outside on the pastures. Our own vegetable garden delivers fresh onions, salad, zucchini etc. Other food such as milk, potatoes, lamb, and veal is bought from the farmers in the neighbourhood. We support the village on their way certifying their whole agriculture as being organic.

Dietary Restrictions
We can cater to most dietary restrictions with advance notice.

This trip includes some wine with dinner and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding


Riding Experience
This ride is tailored to strong intermediate riders and above. Participants have to be competent in all speeds and able to fully control a horse at a canter. Every day, we will have opportunities to canter and even gallop! At times, there are some steep slopes where you need to lead your horse.
We ride mainly on grass-covered trails and across pastures, and occasionally come through oak and hornbeam forests.

Pace
Over the course of the week, you will have 3 day-rides in the saddle, returning to the guesthouse each evening, as well as a 2 day trek with an overnight stay in tents.
The rides are a good mix of walking, trotting, and cantering.
We cover around 20-30km a day and spend approx. 6 to 7 hours in the saddle per day (incl. lunch break).

Horses
With an assortment of horses to choose from there is a suitable horse for everybody, from calm horses for the lesser experienced, to fast and fiery horses for the demanding rider. All horses have stamina, are fit and are used to the mountains.
Our stock of over 40 horses is a good mixture of pure and half-bred horses, mainly breeds of Hungarian origin such as Shagya-Arabian, Kisberi, and Gidran. All these breeds are characterized by an outstanding willingness, endurance, beauty and good nature and proof their qualities again and again on all our rides.
Our horses live in two groups in open stables with sand paddocks, that allow them to move freely and complies with their need for social interactions with members of the same species. In addition, they are regularly turned out on large pastures.
The upper stables cover approximately 300 m2 and hosts about half of the horses (as well as our donkey Maja), which have the possibility of moving around freely. The horses have an open stable with two large boxes (50 m2 and 35 m2) and approximately 1,000 m2 of paddock. Furthermore, we have a separate box (18 m2) for horses that we want to temporarily separate from the herd (e.g. for fowling), and a box for a stallion with 16 m2. The lower stables also consist of an open stable for the remaining horses and the other animals.

Hard Hat
A HARD HAT IS MANDATORY FOR ALL RIDERS, NO EXCEPTIONS! We have a few hats that other guests have left, and that can be used, but we do not know the history/size or fit of these hats and therefore cannot guarantee them.

Guides
You will be accompanied by 2 guides.

Your Hosts
The owners of the riding centre, Barbara and Christoph Promberger, have been leading the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project over the last ten years, the largest research and conservation project on large carnivores in Central and Eastern Europe. During this time, they have gained a great deal of experience about large carnivores and are happy to tell their stories about wolves, bears, and lynx. They are now again involved in a large conservation programme in and around Sinca Noua, which intends to develop the area into a large conservation area with certified organic agriculture around the village and unspoiled and protected forests in the hills and mountains around Sinca.

Conservation Contribution
We ask all our visitors for a donation of 40 Euro per week for our regional conservation and development fund, which supports sustainable projects in and around Sinca Noua. Furthermore, we are personally involved in a number of conservation projects.

Itinerary

Sample Itinerary: Forest and Bears - subject to changes

This center-based one week riding program includes 5 riding days and one 2-day trip with an overnight stay in tents. The trails lead us through meadows and forests of the Carpathian Mountains and their foothills between 500 and 1,400 m altitude. We ride mainly on grass-covered paths and trails, or on forest roads. Sometimes, we come across tracks or markings of bears, occasionally even of wolves.
To protect our horse's joints, we dismount and lead the horses on steep descents.
We cover between 20 and 30 km daily which takes us between 6-7 hours, including our lunch break. The rides are a good mix of walking, trotting, and cantering.
If rain would not allow a full day of riding, we can offer alternatives to riding.

Day 1 (Saturday): Arrival  
Fly to Bucharest airport (please be sure to arrive by 4:15pm), where you will be picked up and transferred through the spectacular Carpathian mountains to our guesthouse in Sinca Noua (ca. 3 hours). Receive a welcome drink upon arrival, a great dinner and spend the evening with the staff to prepare the week.

Day 2 (Sunday): Half-day ride & virgin forest visit
After breakfast you will be shown around the farm and introduced to the horses. Soon we take off for the first ride (about 3 hours) along meadows and through forests. You will have time to get used to the horses, the equipment and the terrain. The hills offer a fantastic view over the area and the meadows invite for some first trot or canter.
Upon return, after a short lunch, we will drive up a forest road to the famous virgin forest of Stramba Valley (UNESCO World Heritage Site). We will do a 2-hour hike to see century old giant beech and fir trees (amongst them the tallest known tree of Romania), and learn about the ecosystem of the mixed mountain forests of the Carpathians.  

Rates and Dates for History & Nature Ride

Dates Note: Other dates for Winter Ride available on request.

Other Info
Meeting: Bucharest
Airport: Bucharest
Transfer: Bucharest

Climate:
                                                Brașov area

• Comfortable riding trousers
• Riding boots (well broken in) or ankle-high multi-purpose ride/walk boots which work well when worn with half-chaps and can comfortably be worn for walking too
• Hiking boots for the virgin forest hike (can also be used for riding)
• T-shirts (bring many during summer)
• Long sleeved shirts (cotton polo necks are good for layering)
• Hat – You need to bring your own hard hat, they are obligatory!
• Comfortable footwear for general walking and travelling (well broken-in)
• Torch with spare batteries (Maglite or similar)
• Gloves - Your hands will be particularly exposed to the elements for long periods
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Water bottle (we provide 0.5 l plastic bottles)
• Casual clothes for the evening
• Camera
• Washbag - A nail brush will be particularly useful after a day in the saddle
• Any medication you regularly take (if you take any unusual medicine it is advisable to carry a doctors certificate confirming)
• Travel insurance documents (including the emergency number of your insurance company)
• Jumper, fleece or similar jacket
• Rainproofs – jacket and possible trousers (should not flap around while riding)

• Swiss army knife
• ‘Wet-ones’ or similar travel wipes, tissues
• Tracksuit pants or comfortable walking trousers for optional hikes and relaxing at the centre and for the day off
• Reading material